


Our Two Worlds Cannot Be As One (But That Hasn't Stopped Us Yet)

by misfiredamage



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: AI!Percy, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Corporate Intrigue, Genre Romance, God I'm such a sucker for human/AI romance, Human/AI Romance, M/M, Programmer!Tiberius, Sentient AI, Tags updated as story proceeds, Tiberius's family is in this too
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-19
Updated: 2017-04-19
Packaged: 2018-10-20 16:26:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,508
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10666440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misfiredamage/pseuds/misfiredamage
Summary: Tiberius Stormwind, heir to Draconia Robotics, wakes up one day to find his experimental AI has gained sentience. Now he has to keep this from competitors who would use the AI for selfish means, while the relationship between him and the AI starts to drift further and further from creator and program, and more towards lovers.(Title from Forbidden (Feat. Avanna) by S3RL, which lowkey inspired this.)





	Our Two Worlds Cannot Be As One (But That Hasn't Stopped Us Yet)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title from "When I'm There" by S3RL feat. Nikolett, another mix that lowkey inspired this fic.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know that boring part of stories before the inciting incident?? Yeah the first few chapters are gonna be like that. Plot should kick in around chapter three.  
> Oh man I'm gonna have to re-listen to Draconian Knights to get Tiberius's family's characterization right.  
> What a shame (sarcasm).

Tiberius yawns as he sits up from bed and rubs at his eyes with one hand while the other searches his bedside table for his glasses, and dimly he registers the startup chime of the AI assistant he's been working on (and has nearly completed) from his computer.

“Good afternoon, Tiberius."

The smooth voice rings out through the room and Tiberius frowns as he puts his glasses on.

“Is it the afternoon?" He asks, and the computer chimes again as a display is brought up; time, date, and current weather.

“It's currently two thirty-four in the afternoon, on Thursday, July seventeenth, 3075," the AI says. “The weather is clear and sunny, at twenty three degrees Celsius. You slept for approximately nine and a half hours, falling asleep at roughly five o'clock in the morning."

“Did anyone call while I was asleep?"

Another chime as a list of missed calls is brought up. “You received calls from your father, each of your siblings, and Icetek."

Tiberius sighs. “Did any of them leave a message?"

“Your father, Drakkia, and Jerahd each left one voicemail," the AI says. “Icetek left exactly thirty minutes and twenty nine seconds worth of recording, spread out over five voicemails."

“Of course they did," Tiberius mutters before speaking louder. “Play the message from my father, please."

He gets dressed - well, more accurately, changes out of yesterday's clothing - while he listens to the voicemails from his father and siblings, then groans at the prospect of listening to the ones from Icetek. No doubt they're just more of the CEO offering him ridiculous amounts of money to come work there, because wouldn't that just make the 'Conclave' pleased as fucking punch, getting the heir to Draconia Robotics to come work for them.

Tiberius has an idea, though.

“PERCI?" He asks, and the AI chimes again. “Do you think you could analyse and summarise the messages from Icetek?"

“Certainly, Tiberius. Please give me a few minutes for analysis."

While PERCI (Programmed Encyclopedic Repository and Cybernetic Intelligence) works on that, Tiberius takes care of the more unfortunate bodily needs that come with being human, and brushes his teeth for the first time in... God, _several_ days. He'll have to add something to PERCI's programming to have it remind the user to do things like that.

“Have you finished that?" Tiberius asks when he returns to his room, sitting at his computer chair.

PERCI chimes again. “I have," it says. “Of the five messages left by Vorugal Caulfeld of Icetek, a connecting pattern seems to be a request that you sign on to the company's payroll."

“Yes, that's what I expected," Tiberius sighs. He rests his chin on his hand, staring at the screen and drumming the fingers of his other hand on the desk, before sighing again and standing up. “Alright, I'm going out. Please go into sleep mode."

“Of course, Tiberius," the AI says, and then, just before it goes dormant, “Come back safe."

It doesn't occur to Tiberius until he's halfway to his sister's apartment that he hadn't programmed that response in.

 

* * *

 

The first thing Drakkia says when Tiberius buzzes to be let into her apartment building is, “Tiberius! Thank _fuck_ , you're alive!"

“Why on earth wouldn't I be alive?" Tiberius asks, very concerned now. “Did something happen?"

“No, no, everything's fine," Drakkia says, and Tiberius can practically hear her roll her eyes through the intercom. “You just haven't been answering your phone and you know how mum gets."

“Can you please let me up?" Tiberius sighs.

“ _Do_ you have the food I asked you to bring?"

Tiberius takes a deep breath. “Drakkia, you called asking me to bring you food at eight in the morning. It's almost three o'clock in the afternoon now."

“Exactly!" Drakkia says. “I'm _starving_ , Tibsy!"

Tiberius stares at the intercom, silent and blinking in disbelief. “You... Haven't eaten all day... Because you wanted _me_ to bring you food."

“You're just getting this? I thought you were supposed to be the _smart_ one," Drakkia sighs, then says, “Hang on, don't go anywhere, I'm coming down and you can buy me late lunch and breakfast for yourself, because I'm willing to bet _you_ haven't eaten yet, either."

“No, Drakkia, I don't wa-" Tiberius's protests are cut off when the intercom beeps off and he leans against the wall with a sigh.

“Drakkia, I _don't want_ to get food," he repeats when she shows up, multitude of green-dyed braids pulled into a ponytail and ever-present brown leather jacket on despite the heat.

“Tough," she says as she pushes him out of the entryway and back outside. “You need it to live, and there's a new Marquesian place that I've been _dying_ to try a few blocks over."

They talk while walking the few blocks to the restaurant, Drakkia admonishing Tiberius for his sleeping habits when she finds out he'd woken up when the day was more than half over and he admonishing her in kind for not eating simply because he didn't bring her food, his scolding “What would mum say?" drowned out by her exasperated “ _Oh_ my god, you _have_ to stop".

Tiberius stares at the storefront of the restaurant when they arrive. It's... Well... “It's a bit ostentatious, isn't it?"

“Yup," Drakkia says, drawing out the vowels and putting unnecessary emphasis on the 'p'. “C'mon, let's go in."

It's cluttered inside, but in a sort of cozy, homey way. Marquesian art hangs on the walls, there are bottles of condiments on the tables and spaced intermittently down a counter by the wall that has chairs pushed up under it, and there are a few other patrons there, sitting at tables or the counter eating their food off of paper plates or out of styrofoam containers or waiting for their orders - overall, it feels a little bit like... Themed fast food? It wouldn't be out of place in a food court, certainly.

“It's not exactly _high class_ ," he mutters, and Drakkia rolls her eyes.

“Well, I wasn't going to make you buy me food from the _Ritz_ , Tiberius," she hisses as she drags him to stand in line to order - the place is _definitely_ giving food court vibes.

Tiberius ends up getting whatever's cheapest, because he really just _does not_ care about ingesting nutrients right now (his body, the absolute traitor, _does_ \- his stomach's been figuratively yelling at him since he set foot in the restaurant and caught scent of the food).

“So," Drakkia says once they've sat down at the counter and she's shoveled a satisfactory amount of food into her mouth, “big day for you tomorrow, huh?"

Tiberius grimaces at that. The message from his father had been to remind him that tomorrow, he'll be meeting the company's business partners. The only ones he can remember off the top of his head is the couple from Wildmount who run their company together, Br... Br-something... Briarwood, that's it. Their business has been doing well since their main competitor got knocked off the market, and they quickly bought up the shares to essentially absorb it into their company. A shame, really, but that's how these things go.

“Yes, I suppose so," he mutters as he pokes at his food. He makes a half-hearted attempt at eating it, but honestly it just tastes like nothing, despite the countless spices that no doubt went into the dish. He'll have a banana or something when he gets home.

“It _is_ , though," Drakkia says, elbowing him in the ribs. “So don't stay up until god knows when working on that _thing_ you're making."

“It's a highly sophisticated artificial intelligence," Tiberius huffs, “and it's going to revolutionize day-to-day life. It is _not_ a _thing_."

Drakkia makes a noise of sarcastic agreement around her mouthful of food and Tiberius, annoyed as he is, can't help his fond smile.

 

* * *

 

 “I have to go see Jerahd and return a book I borrowed from him, is there any message you'd like me to pass on?" Tiberius asks as they _finally_ leave the restaurant.

“Nah," Drakkia says, “I can just send him a text." To prove her point, she takes out her phone and taps out a message on it, holding it up to show Tiberius when she's sent it. It's to Jerahd, and reads 'hey jerass i hacked your lights again', along with a small cartoon face sticking its tongue out. Before she takes her phone back, a response pops up: 'PLEASE STOP MAKING THEM FLASH IT'S ANNOYING'.

Tiberius laughs, but quickly gathers himself.

“Honestly, though, you should stop that," he says.

Drakkia groans and rolls her eyes. “You used to be more _fun_ , Tibsy," she pouts, and he mirrors her eye roll.

“Anyway," he says pointedly, “I need to return this book."

“Alright, alright. Go on, then," Drakkia laughs, flapping her hands at him in a shooing gesture. “Give him an apology hug from me, yeah?"

Tiberius pulls a face at the prospect of hugs, but nods in agreement anyway, and then he's waving goodbye and heading off to his youngest brother's apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So! Quick rundown.  
> PERCI will start acting more like Percy when he becomes fully sentient, not just getting brief flashes of sentience.  
> Tiberius could probably be read as autistic in this fic. Because I decided I was going to write him as autistic.  
> I cannot believe I actually used the tag "Corporate Intrigue".
> 
> Big big "thank you"s to my friends Emily, Arie, and Cal, who graciously offered to help me edit (I have EDITORS for this fic, you guys, holy shit)!  
> More thanks to my brain for making me do an actual plot outline this time.  
> Extra thanks to Emily since she puts up with me bugging her to be specific with what she likes about my writing.
> 
> Aside from that, all I can really say is, if you liked this first chapter, leave a kudos, post a comment, stick around because there's more to come!  
> Drama!  
> Romance!  
> Bloodshed!


End file.
